Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons are publicly flirting on Instagram and fans don't know where to look

The Kardashian Jenner family are arguably the most instantly recognisable group of faces on planet Earth.

Managed by the watchful eye of Momager par excellence Kris Jenner, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kylie and Kendall have taken the world - and the letter 'K' - by storm.

Sure, it hasn't always been plain sailing for the sisters; they've had to deal with their fair share of criticism and outrage over the years, but they come back stronger and even more famous each and every time, a global behemoth of a family relentlessly ascending to ever higher levels of fame.

To begin with, it was Kim Kardashian leading the way, with her sisters Khloe and Kourtney sharing a lesser portion of the spotlight, but these days the women are all global brands in their own right, launching wildly successful beauty brands, marrying rappers and having babies, keeping the world on tenterhooks in the process.

Recently, speculation about Kendall Jenner's love life has intensified, after rumours began a couple of months ago that the model was dating the Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.

Though it wasn't immediately confirmed, it now seems clear that the pair are dating, even if a petition started by Sixers fans aimed to have Kendall banned from home games as she was deemed too much of a distraction.

A portion of the petition reads;

"Jenner was front and center in attendance for the Sixers loss to the worst team in the league, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It is not a coincidence that the Sixers, who had started the season 10-0 at home, lost their first home game of the year the first time Jenner shows up.

If the Jenner/Kardashian family has any shred of decency left, Kendall will never again show her face at the Wells Fargo Center."

At the time of writing, just over 10,000 people have signed the petition, but it doesn't seem to be bothering Kendall and Ben, who recently had a very public flirting session on Instagram after Kendall posted a bikini video.

Ben Simmons was evidently quite taken by the video, as he reportedly commented "come here.." underneath.

Credit: Instagram

And Kendall was definitely down for a little witty repartee, as she replied with a sports car emoji followed by a gust of smoke, seeming to indicate her willingness.

Credit: Instagram

Though they have never officially announced their relationship on Instagram, this might just be the closest thing fans will get to a confirmation from the couple, who have reportedly been dating on-and-off since the summer.

What's more, if Kendall's past comments are anything to go by, fans might be waiting a while for any official word on the couple, "[Relationships are] something between two people, and nobody else's opinion needs to be involved in it," she previously said.

Whatever their official status, we wish Kendall and Ben Simmons all the best. Long live the public Instagram flirt.